Lord Matthias' Guide to Code Geass
by Kaesarthe42nd
Summary: A story that expands on the Code Geass Universe. Reads like a book from in Universe but is meant to build a more detailed and cohesive world for writers (of course anyone can read it!)
1. Introduction

Hello to all readers, the contents of this story are meant to be a sort of guide to the intricacies of the Code Geass universe. While I have always loved Code Geass, it's contradictions and plot wholes drove me up the wall. So I decided to write this just for the heck of it. This is of course open to all writers on this sight to use and in fact I encourage it. Many people have trouble imagining a world for their stories when the source material is disjointed to begin with. As a note, this will include both canon and non-canon information where applicable. Some stuff either doesn't make sense or is stupid and therefore I ignore it for the sake of consistency. Also I am not an expert so there may be errors when speaking of historical situations and objects. I write this as if I exist in the universe and I'm writing a book so it isn't just a list or sum such. I hope it is useful to someone!

Oh and I own nothing within this story, it all belongs to it's respective creators!


	2. The Nobility

To the common Britannian, the nobility would seam complex and untouchable, this is only because of the sheer size of Britannia, specifically it's homeland. Considering the homeland consists of all North American land that was not a part of Area 2 (formally known as Canada), it stands to reason that the nobility would be so massive that memorizing all the nobility could be considered it's own academic study. The size of the nobility will be expanded on later however as the types of nobility need to be explained first.

The Royal Family has it's own hierarchy that will be expanded on later due to it's more complicated structure. The lesser nobility are divided into, from least powerful to most powerful, Knights of Honor, Knights, Barons, Viscounts, Earls, Margraves, Marquess', Dukes, and Grand Dukes.

Starting from the bottom are the Knights of Honor. This title is non-hereditary and as such cannot be passed on but is also accessible to commoners. In order to gain this title, one simply needs to gain enough favor with a member of the Royal Family that they are willing to make you one of their personal bodyguards, though this is obviously easier said then done. Knights are a similar but different title then Knights of Honor as they can be created by any noble (though Knights created by a Duke would be more prestigious then ones created by a Baron). The only other difference is that Knights usually gain the title by performing a great service to the realm where Knights of Honor can be made simply do to the Royal members approval, even if said person has done nothing of worth.

The next noble title and the first hereditary one is the title of Baron. Historically a Baron is a noble with a relatively small tract of land and tends to own a castle or fortification. However, in modern times where castles and forts have become obsolete, Barons now tend to simply own the land instead of the fortifications though they are allowed to keep a very small retinue of personal soldiers (a privilege exclusive to nobility). Barons are vassals of Earls. Viscount are like Barons but have a little bit more land then usual and more administrative responsibilities. It is a joke among the nobility that a Viscount is an Earl that nobody liked enough to actually make an Earl. The are also considered vassals of Earls even though they can sometimes be as powerful as their lord. As a side note, having a powerful Viscount is a nightmare for Earls as they could very realistically usurp said Earls titles

Next up on the Britannian hierarchy is the Earl. The Earl is rather contemptuously known as the first real Noble of note due to Barons being so weak, Viscounts lack of prestige, and them being the first noble title that has 'real' nobility as vassals (this obviously doesn't count Knights as Barons and Viscounts can have Knights as vassals). Earls are the highest class of nobility that a normal commoner usually interacts with as most commoners can identify themselves as part of their native earldom (such as John Doe from Nashville Earldom). Earls are also synonymous with the European count though that title is honorary nowadays on account of the democratization of Europe. The Earls direct sovereign lord is the Duke. The Margrave and Marquess are both similar in rank to Earls however they serve a specific purpose. They both are only given to nobles who border (or did border) other nations. So while they may own an Earldom, they have their own titles and are usually permitted to have more soldiers in their retinue then the average Earl (sometimes enabled by subsidization from their reigning Duke). The only real difference between the two titles beside their name is that a Marquess is closer in strength to a Duke then a Margrave is. Dukes also face a similar situation with Marquess' as an Earl does with a Viscount. Including that a Marquess is a Duke that nobody liked enough to make a Duke. There are approximately 3000 Earldoms within the Britannian Homeland.

Dukes are the first noble rank that can interact with the Royal Family without a long drawn out appeal for redress or by encountering them at a Dukes ball. A Duchy is a set of Earldoms that generally border each other and Dukes generally own one or more Earldoms within their Duchy (usually the most powerful Earldoms). Their are approximately 3-5 Earldoms within a Duchy though there are and have been exceptions such as Titular Duchies (Duchies that were Duchies in name only for a variety of reasons) or the Duchies under the control of the Emperor which have 10 Earldoms each. A Duke is a vassal of a Grand Duke. There are approximately 900-1000 Dukedoms in the Britannian Homeland.

Grand Dukes did not originally exist within Britannia but where created in response to the increasingly growing Empire. There where simply too many Dukes for the Emperor to constantly keep an eye and ear on. So the title of Grand Duke was created to cut down on bloat within the Imperial Court. Grand Dukes are Kings in their own right but are still subservient to the Emperor. One of the reasons the Kings Duchies are so large is so that the Emperor will always be as powerful as a Grand Duke. There are 13 Grand Duchies within the Britannian Homeland including the 'Grand Duchy' of Pendragon which encompasses the former colonies of Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and West Virginia.

To be a Noble is much more dangerous then commoners believe. It is not uncommon for lords to suffer 'accidents' and sometimes they don't even try to hide their outright assassination attempts. In fact, assassination is promoted within the Nobility (As long as you don't get caught red handed) due to the premise of Social Darwinism. The succession of the Royal Family is based on it, insane as it sounds! Of course there are other ways to accrue power in the Nobility such as Blackmail, petitioning new laws (or repealing them), or even through marriage. One method that is not used as much nowadays due to Britannia's near constant state of war is small wars between Nobles using their personal retinues. In modern times however, many Nobles seek to gain glory and prestige through service in the military. This method works on just the right scale to make Nobles constantly try it despite its high failure rate.

This chapter is just about done, anything else would need the reader to participate in the Nobility to understand its intricacies. A companion piece of artwork may be released one day to compliment these writings! The next chapter will talk about the Royal Family, from it's succession to its privileges.


	3. The Royal Family

The Britannian Royal Family

The Britannian Royal Family is a rather interesting entity due to it's unique power dynamics and even it's laws of succession. Officially, Britannia's succession is Absolute Cognatic Primogeniture which means that the oldest child inherits whether they are male or female. Unofficially, the succession is based on the same principle that the rest of Britannia follows, Darwinism. The most infamous example is the succession of Charles zi Britannia who's childhood involved the brutal assassinations and politicking of the Royal Family at the height of it's Darwinist practices, an era that came to be known as The Emblem of Blood. The once massive House of Britannia which had been made up of hundreds of members from both the main and side branches, had been reduced to a single man. The exact events that came into play during this era remain shrouded in mystery. The only one who could shed light on the specifics of what happened is the Emperor. Unfortunately, he refuses to even hear it spoken in his presence, so we will probably never know the truth.

Regardless, it seems that the tragedy didn't shy the 98th Emperor away from continuing the policy of Darwinist succession. Or at least that is the most reasonable assumption, after all, why else would he take over a hundred consorts and sire dozens of children. No other Emperor has had nearly as many consorts let alone as many children, not even Emperor Raphael the Lecherous! The future is inevitable, one day the The Emblem of Blood will happen again and when that happens, I dread to think of how our thinly stretched empire will handle it. You may be wondering, if the succession is Primogeniture, why are there heirs who are farther in succession yet older then some who are closer in succession.? Well that's an area where Darwinism comes into play. The line of succession is constantly being changed at the Emperor's whims. The likes of the crown heir Odysseus may keep their place, but those lower on the proverbial ladder are in a constant state of flux due to the Emperor's flights of fancy. One of the most infamous examples were the vi Britannians. Despite being some of the younger among the royal family, they had the rank of 11th prince and princess. This is entirely due to consort Marianne being the favorite of the Emperor (well...until her tragic death that is). The only way to increase your ranking outside of the Emperors flights of fancy is to prove your strength through some great deed, much like how lower nobility have too. It is possible to go higher due to another member dying, but usually this is only possible because of foul play, something that has miraculously been avoided (mostly). Though that will change soon, all it will take, is a single spark.

Despite the Royal Family staying silent and cautious, it does not mean they have not been preparing for the inevitable. Every member of the Royal Family is getting ready in their own ways, gathering allies and amassing power. This is another reason why the upper members of the dynasty have kept their ranks, as they constantly gather power as they get older. Below is a list detailing the current makeup of the Royal Family and their sponsor house from their mother's side.

98th Emperor Charles zi Britannia – House of Jefferson

1st Prince – Odysseus eu Britannia - House of Churchill

1st Princess – Guinevere de Britannia – House of Monroe

2nd Prince – Schneizel el Britannia – House of Eisenhower

2nd Princess – Cornelia li Britannia – House of Roosevelt

3rd Prince – Clovis la Britannia – House of Kennedy

3rd Princess – Euphemia li Britannia – House of Roosevelt

4th Prince – Perseus me Britannia – House of Ford

4th Princess – Helen to Britannia – House of Clinton

5th Prince – Augustus ro Britannia – House of Adams

5th Princess – Carine ne Britannia – House of Nixon

6th Prince – Theseus ba Britannia – House of Madison

6th Princess - Boudicca ce Britannia – House of Grant

7th Prince – William le Britannia – House of Carter

7th Princess – Ariadne va Britannia – House of Truman

8th Prince – Jason di Britannia – House of Reagan

8th Princess – Pandora gu Britannia – House of Polk

9th Prince – Cadmus ye Britannia – House of Garfield

9th Princess – Catherine ne Britannia – House of Harding

10th Prince – Alexander sha Britannia – House of Taft

10th Princess – Aphrodite xa Britannia – House of McKinley

11th Prince – Orion ju Britannia – House of Coolidge

11th Princess – Jean sha Britannia – House of Buren

12th Prince – Arthur ci Britannia – House of Hoover

12th Princess – Hera fu Britannia – House of Stanton

13th Prince – Julius sha Britannia – House of Paine

13th Princess -Andromeda no Britannia – House of Wilson

14th Prince – Heracles re Britannia – House of Oswald

14th Princess – Daphne ta Britannia – House of Spencer

15th Prince – Castor rui Britannia – House of Arnold

15th Princess - Cartimandua po Britannia – House of Brunel

16th Prince - Pollux rui Britannia – House of Arnold

16th Princess - Susan ja Britannia – House of Palin

17th Prince – Richard lo Britannia – House of Keller

17th Princess – Victoria xi Britannia – House of Presley

18th Prince – Achilles na Britannia – House of Manson

18th Princess – Elizabeth bo Britannia – House of Disney

19th Prince - Justinian pu Britannia – House of Vanderbilt

19th Princess – Electra hi Britannia – House of Shackleton

20th Prince – John mi Britannia – House of Thorpe

20th Princess – Anne ga Britannia – House of Hogan

21st Prince – Julius ca Britannia – House of Hawking

21st Princess – Penelope si Britannia – House of Winfrey

22nd Prince - Tiberius qi Britannia – House of Crowley

22nd Princess – Margaret be Britannia – House of Fawkes

23rd Prince - Hadrian bri Britannia – House of Austen

23rd Princess – Emma de Britannia – House of Morgan

24th Prince - Aurelius ya Britannia – House of Chaplin

24th Princess – Theodora ya Britannia – House of Baden-Powell

25th Prince – Leonidas xe Britannia – House of Rockefeller

25th Princess – Barbara zu Britannia – House of Blair

26th Prince – Nero qa Britannia – House of Thatcher

26th Princess - Annabel chu Britannia – House of Crawford

27th Prince - Claudius ji Britannia – House of Audubon

27th Princess - Jane pe Britannia – House of Nast

28th Prince – Constantine ve Britannia – House of Armstrong

28th Princess – Matilda mac Britannia – House of Stopes

29th Prince - Alfonso pi Britannia – House of Muir

29th Princess – Gabriel hu Britannia – House of Hudson

30th Prince – Edward tra Britannia – House of More

30th Princess – Alice tra Britannia – House of More

31st Prince - Harold bu Britannia – House of Bell

31st Princess – Lucy wi Britannia – House of Caxton

32nd Prince - Alfred chi Britannia – House of Arthur

32nd Princess – Sophia xu Britannia – House of Wright

33rd Prince – Henry ge Britannia – House of Beckham

33rd Princess – Henrietta lu Britannia – House of Branson

34th Prince – Edmund te Britannia – House of Bevan

34th Princess – Maria bru Britannia – House of Carnegie

35th Prince – Stephen da Britannia – House of Harrison

35th Princess – Zoe za Britannia – House of Drake

36th Prince – Henry bra Britannia – House of Campbell

36th Princess – Isabella mu Britannia – House of Whittle

37th Prince – Louis je Britannia – House of Peel

37th Princess – Irene su Britannia – House of Baird

38th Prince – Frederick ru Britannia – House of Bowie

38th Princess – Agnes yu Britannia – House of Geldof

39th Prince – Peter fa Britannia – House of Twain

39th Princess – Grace ri Britannia – House of Morecambe

40th Prince – Odo qe Britannia – House of Graham

40th Princess – Amalia vu Britannia – House of Penn

41st Prince – Cyrus ni Britannia – House of Edison

41st Princess – Elena du Britannia – House of Tyndale

42nd Prince – Oliver che Britannia – House of Wilberforce

42nd Princess – Deborah tre Britannia – House of Hearst

43rd Prince – Romeo Mon Britannia – House of Montgomery

43rd Princess – Juliet Cap Britannia – House of Capello

44th Prince -Matthew sa Britannia – House of Maxwell

44th Princess – Marrybell mel Britannia – House of Raleigh

45th Prince – George tu Britannia – House of Lydon

45th Princess – Leonor gi Britannia – House of Cheshire

46th Prince – Robert yi Britannia – House of Watt

46th Princess – Josepha ha Britannia – House of Rowling

47th Prince – Philip ma Britannia – House of Wallis

47th Princess – Louisa ma Britannia – House of Wallis

48th Prince – David fe Britannia – House of Livingstone

48th Princess – Bianca wo Britannia – House of Elgar

49th Prince – Michael cha Britannia – House of Wesley

49th Princess – Constance qu Britannia – House of Conolly

50th Prince – Raphael ze Britannia – House of Lawrence

50th Princess – Claire ra Britannia – House of Powell

51st Prince – Joseph he Britannia – House of Wellesley

52nd Prince – Robin wa Britannia – House of Fleming

*Note: These are the members who are no longer in succession due to one reason or another.

Former 11th Prince - Lelouch vi Britannia -Dead - House of Lamperouge (Commoner House, Died with the vi Britannians)

Former 11th Princess - Nunnally vi Britannia -Dead - House of Lamperouge (Commoner House, Died with the vi Britannians)


End file.
